The present invention relates to printer cutter laminators and the like, as well as systems that embody such printer cutter laminators.
In many technical applications, printed documents such as labels and shipping tags are required to withstand environmental extremes while maintaining legibilty long after they have been printed. The nature of the information to be printed greatly determines the techniques that can be used both to print and to protect the label or tag. Where the information to be printed is known well in advance and is either constant or predictably different (sequential numbers, for example), batch printing techniques such as hot stamping can be used effectively and economically, if the quantities are high enough. If the information to be printed includes data that is not known until a short time before the label is needed, some other form of printer such as a label-on-demand, ink-type printer is usually a far better solution. Unfortunately most ink type printers, whether thermal or impact, do not produce labels that will withstand severe environments unless the printed surface has been protected with a laminating film of some kind. Electrostatic type printers fare somewhat better as regards the environmental stability of the printed output, but are considerably more complex and expensive. Even in the electrostatic case, the printed label requires some form of surface protection to avoid abrasion of the printed material.
Label stock is readily available on a continuous liner in either continuous roll form or die cut to size. Most laminating films are supplied as a continuous roll of adhesive backed stock. When laminating labels, the labels must first be printed, then laminated and finally cut to size. While it is possible to obtain die cut laminate sized to fit a die cut label, the problems of accurately laminating die cut laminate to a die cut label on the fly after printing greatly complicate the machinery and process. (See application Ser. No. 328,286 for "Optical Density Measurement Apparatus in the Context of Labeling and Other Devices", filed Mar. 24, 1989, Murphy.)
Thus it is the cutting step that poses the most difficulty in laminating labels A proper and effective solution to this problem incorporated in a stand-alone printer significantly enhances the utility of the printed label. Further, if the cutter will cut the laminate, it can also simultaneously cut the label stock and thereby eliminate the need for die cut stock. Die cut stock, although usually fairly readily available, does predetermine the label size and is more costly than its continuous counterpart.
Further, a properly designed cutter need only be operative when it is actually cutting the label stock to separate the end of one label from the beginning of the next. Implicit in this concept is the fact that the resultant label can be of any size down to some practical minimum as determined by the characteristics of the printing mechanism and associated cutter.